How To Use Google Maps Incognito Mode On An Android Device.
Did you know that Google Maps has an incognito mode just like Google Chrome? And here, too, there are legitimate reasons for using private mode. By default, Google Maps tracks all of your movements and is available to your Google family and trusted people.
But what if you want to hide your activity for a while? If you are looking to buy a gift for your spouse somewhere or are planning a surprise, you may not want anyone else to see this data.
While you can always erase your location history on Google Maps later, it’s best not to keep track of it. Here’s how to use Google Maps incognito mode on your Android device.
How Does Google Maps Incognito Mode Work?
As we mentioned earlier, incognito mode is a private browsing feature designed to protect your location (GPS) and search data on Google Maps. When you turn on incognito mode, Google Maps immediately turns off the location history feature. The app stops recording where you go and what you are looking for.
Google Maps does not store any browsing history or search history. It also won’t send you notifications. If you have enabled this feature, it will not update your shared location.
But that doesn’t change your Google Maps navigation experience. You can still see where you are, search for places and use turn-by-turn navigation in Google Maps.
In incognito mode, the following features will not be available to you on Google Maps:
Drive For you Location history (According to Google, location history will be paused For your entire device, not just google maps). Geodata transfer Notifications and messages Search history Suggestions for completing searches Google Maps contribution Google Assistant microphone in navigation Offline Maps Your Places Media Integration
While navigating, the microphone function in Google Maps does not work, but you can still use the “Ok Google” command. This will bring up the Google Assistant, and since it is not part of the Google Maps app, this data will be saved and available in your Google Account history.
How To Turn on Google Maps Incognito Mode
Now that you understand how this feature works, here’s how you can use it on your Android smartphone.
Open the Google Maps app on your Android device. You will see the familiar Google Maps home screen with your current location. Click on your profile icon in the upper right corner of the screen. Now select the Enable Incognito Mode option.
Google Maps will show a menu with descriptions of functions. Click the “Close” button here. You will now see the incognito icon on your screen and the Google Maps application will restart.
After restarting, you will enter incognito mode. You will be able to determine this because the incognito icon will replace your profile icon in the upper right corner.
Now you can continue searching and navigating without worrying about recording.
How To Turn Off Google Maps Incognito Mode
Once you’re done with your incognito escapades, you can turn it off and revert to the default settings (after all, incognito mode on Google Maps offers fewer features).
Open the Google Maps app and tap the incognito icon in the upper right corner of the screen. Then click the Disable Incognito Mode button.
And right after that, the Google Maps app will restart and your usual Google Maps home screen will return.
How To Delete Google Maps History
What if you forgot to turn on incognito mode on Google Maps and want to hide or remove activities on Google Maps? You can also do this just like the Google Chrome browser.
And you can do it right from the Google Maps Android app.
Open the Google Maps app on your Android smartphone. Tap the profile icon in the upper right corner and select the Settings option.
Select the Map History option here. The Google Account web page will open with a chronological list of all your Google Maps locations and search history. … You can scroll through the list to find a specific entry. Or you can use the search function at the top. From here, you can also filter by specific date.
When you find the data you want to delete, click the three-dot menu button and select the Delete option. Then click the Close button to continue browsing.
Google will now remove certain data from your Google account. It will not appear in the Google Maps app and no linked account will be able to access it.
What was your experience of using Google Maps in incognito mode? Share with us in the comments below.
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